showalteb



(No Model.)

H. F. SHOWALTER.

GATE. norssz om. Patented Feb. 1, 1 887.

\vwmzxiax INVENTEI UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY F. SHOWALTEB, OF DENVER, PENNSYLVANIA.

GATE. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,046, dated February. '1, 1887.

' Application filed October 21,1886. Serial No.216,134. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY F. SHOWALTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in farm-gates, and has for its object to provide a gate the free end of which may be elevated,

so as to clear obstrnctions-such as snow, ice, or stonesand be retained in such elevated position by means of a weight attached to the end of a section of one of the parallel bars,

1 left free at its loaded end to oscillate as a lever and connected with the body of the gate by means of a cord or wire passing over a pulley placed between two of the battens at the top. I obtain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawtion of the same with the free end elevated preparatory to being swung open, parts being out away to show the position of the lever; Fig. 3,-an enlarged top view showing the loaded lever, the bars placed on the outside of the battens to permit the weighted end of the lever to drop when the free'end of the gate is raised, and the arrangement of the cord and pulley, and Fig. 4 a perspective'view of the slotted stay attached to one of the posts to re- 3 5 ceive the end of the top bar projecting beyond the battens at the free end of the gate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout, the several views.

My gate is constructed of perpendicular bat- 40 tens A and parallel bars 13, pivoted between them in such manner that the bars, may be moved after the manner of a parallel ruler. The inner section, 0, of the second bar is pivoted between the rear parallel battens in the same way as the other bars; but its outer end is free to oscillate vertically between the lips c on the rear edge of the intermediate battens. This section has a weight, W, fastened on its upper edge near the oscillating end,

The rear battens extend upward some distance above the top of the gate, and carry a pulley, P, betweenthem at the top. Cords H, of any suitable material, are fastened to each side of the lever 0, between the weight and the pivot 0', pass under and around the pulley Pin separate grooves, and then descend and are secured to the lower bar at or near the intermediate battens, which are placed forward of the center of the gate. The result of this arrangement is thatwhen the outer end of the gate is raised the lever drops, keeping the cord taut, and, by reason of the weight on its end, holding the outer end of the gate in an elevated position while it is being opened or closed. Pulling downward upon the outer end of the gate when raised lifts the lever and restores the gate to its natural position.

The gates with which I have used my in -vention are fourteen feet long, the weight on the end of the lever being from twelve to fifteen pounds, the intermediate battens placed about five feet from the free end of the gate, and the cord which connects the lever with the body of the gate being fastened to the former about two and one-half feet from the rear battens and to the bottom bar just back of the intermediate battens. I find that these dimensions give excellentworking results. The weight on the lever is of course varied to suit the weight of the gate.

Instead of placing the bar next below the lever between the battens one, D, is'pivoted on each side to their outer faces, in order to allow sufficient drop for the weighted end of the lever.

To steady the upper part of the gate when closed, the front end of the upper bar projects beyond the battens and is received in a vertical slot, g, in a stay-piece, G, fastened to the inner face of the post M.

.The latch-bolt N is adapted to slide back and forth on one of the parallel bars, to latch and unlatch the gate, and is provided with two handles, a, which also act as stops to limit the throw of the latch.

I know that there are gates with which levers and weights are used to keep the outer end in an elevated position; but I do notknow of any in which the lever and weight are located and arranged to act within the limits of 100 side battens, the rear battens extending above the gate and supporting a pulley between their upper ends, a section of one of the parallel bars pivoted at the rear end and having the other end Weighted and free to oscillate, a cord passing around said pulley and connecting the 0scillating bar and the bodyof the gate, and the section of the bar next beneath the oscillating bar pivoted to the outer faces of the battens, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

HARVEY F. SHOWALTER. Witnesses:

GEO. A. LANE, WM. R. GERHART. 

